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Sue at the zoo - our reporter spends the day being a zoo keeper
BEING a zookeeper for the day would be a dream come true for many – myself included.
So when Flamingo Land gave me the opportunity to join the team and muck in for the day I could hardly contain my excitement.
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I wanted to find out what life is like for those dedicated members of staff who work through the busiest of summers and toughest of winters to look after the hundreds of creatures in the park.
I had no idea what my tasks for the day would include, so I rolled up my sleeves, grabbed my shovel and got ready to get stuck in.
My first job for the day was to help keeper Catherine Brenkley in Muddy Duck Farm.
After walking the ducks to the pond and letting out the rabbits into their paddock, we got down to the dirty work – mucking out the Dexter cows and Jacobs sheep.
While cleaning up and bringing in clean hay, I asked Catherine about her job, which she has been doing for four years.
The 25-year-old, who went to Askham Bryan College, said: "I've never looked back – I adore it. Every day is different.
"If you're an outgoing person, you love animals and you love being outside, it's the job for you."
Moving on to the Australian and South American paddocks, I met up with keeper Dace Vitola, who is originally from Latvia and has been zookeeping for more than 10 years.
First we went to check on the emus, kangaroos and wallabies. I was lucky enough to feed a red kangaroo called Rufus, who took a piece of banana right out of my hand.
I was also delighted to catch a glimpse of a tiny joey peeping out of its mother's pouch.
Dace told me the wallaby baby was probably about four months old and would stay in the pouch for up to nine months, though sometimes they can venture out after six to seven months.
We moved on to the South American area which is home to mara, which look like hares but are related to guinea pigs, tapirs and rhea.
I fed all three members of Flamingo Land's tapir family – mum Tiggy, dad Woody and baby Eddy, who I last saw in July when he was just a couple of months old.
I was also happy to hear that the patter of tiny tapir feet is on the cards as Tiggy is pregnant again and due to give birth in June or July.
Dace said: "Tapirs are definitely one of my favourite animals. Everyone thinks that when they meet them."
Next stop was the hippo house, where my task was to make up a bed for Betty, Godzilla and Ernie, who weigh about three and a half tonnes each.
After laying out their clean straw for the night, I put out their food which included a bale of hay and a dustbin full of vegetables.
Then I went to feed the five hybrid giraffes, including baby Shingo, which means "neck" in Swahili. He was born measuring an impressive six feet tall in November.
While we gave these beautiful creatures their lunch I asked Sam Debelle, one of the head keepers, what the best things are about her job.
She said: "The best thing is being able to interact with the beasts, watching them and working with them.
"It's quite an honour to work with these animals every day.
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Sometimes I have to pinch myself and say this is my job!
“I’ve been here nine years and there’s never been a day when I didn’t want to come to work.”
Sam added that although she loves her job, there are downsides such as dealing with bad weather, trying to catch animals that need to be moved or treated, and when animals become ill or pass away.
We then went to check on the two white rhinos, Shaka and Kashka, and the Bactrian camels, who were moulting to get rid of their thick winter coat.
Next stop was the birds and sea lions, which are the stars of the popular family shows which run throughout the summer season.
I helped trainer Holly Garson with the hornbills, barn owls and macaws who were keen to show off their skills.
My favourite was a beautiful young barn owl called Twiggy, who was still learning and was a little bit shy.
Holly explained that as well as the Keeper for the Day experience, which is available to members of the public for a fee, this year will see the introduction of Trainer for a Day.
Participants will have the chance to help train the birds and sea lions, which includes feeding and close interaction with the creatures.
Holly then introduced me to head sea lion trainer Alan Drayton, who used to volunteer at the zoo as a youngster and has worked there for the last 14 years.
He looks after the park’s two sea lions – eight-year-old Marvin and 26-year-old Benson, who weighs a whopping 40 stone.
Alan said: “When training we reward the animal with fish or a pat on the back. They love attention and vocal praise also encourages behaviour.
“Catching hoops is an easy skill to train as they’re naturally good at it. They’re always learning something new – the training never stops.”
He added that he often gets asked, “How do you make them perform?” and that the simple answer is that you can’t make them, you can only ask and encourage them.
My busy day was then rounded off by feeding the Humboldt penguins, who gathered around eagerly before gulping down their fish.
Being a zookeeper for the day was an amazing, eye-opening experience which I would recommend to anyone.
I never thought I would stroke a rhino, feed a giraffe, tickle a tapir, make up a hippo’s bed and get kissed on the cheek by a sea lion – let alone all in one day!
l Watch videos of Susan’s day as a zookeeper, which were captured by Evening News digital editor Adam Meads.
Click on the SEN TV logo at www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk
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Weather for Scarborough
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -5 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to -1 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South west
